Boneless Beef Short Ribs

Most hearty comfort foods take all day to cook, so we love that this boneless beef short ribs recipe takes just a couple of hours in the oven. It’s nourishing, filling and packed with bold flavor from ingredients like mustard, brown sugar, garlic and vinegar. While most recipes for beef short ribs require multiple hours braising on the stovetop, this simple and streamlined dish needs just two-plus hours in the oven to become totally fork-tender.

The versatile entree is a great base for a wide range of family dinners: You can serve it with a heaping pile of mashed potatoes for a special occasion, or with a simple side salad for a hearty weeknight meal. Better yet, the leftovers can make tasty sandwiches for days to come.

Ingredients for Boneless Beef Short Ribs

• Onion: Onions are the backbone to any sauce recipe, and they add earthy, sweet flavor to this one. We start by sauteing onions in a pot before adding garlic and the remaining sauce ingredients. The result is a full-bodied, complex sauce that imparts bold flavor to the meat.
• Garlic: Bold, spicy and pungent, garlic kicks up the flavor in any recipe it’s included in. We saute it with the onions before adding it to the sauce to ensure that it’s sweet and strong, rather than bitter and biting.
• Ketchup: Sweet and slightly acidic, ketchup makes a great secret ingredient for rich, dark sauces. The tomato flavor cuts through the richness of the beef, so it’s a great way to balance out the flavors while adding a bit of sweetness.
• Tomato paste: Tomato paste works as a fantastic thickener for sauces like this one. It helps the thinner ingredients (like vinegar and ketchup) hold together and clings to items like onion, garlic and brown sugar. It also packs a powerful punch of sweet, acidic, tomato flavor.
• Brown sugar: This sauce recipe has a lot of acidic ingredients (like vinegar, tomato paste and mustard), so adding a bit of sugar is a great way to balance it all out. Brown sugar has a more caramelized flavor than standard white sugar, which makes it a perfect choice for pairing with dark, rich meats.
• White vinegar: Boneless beef short ribs can be really rich, so a splash of vinegar helps cut through the fatty richness with some necessary acidity.
• Prepared mustard: Depending on the type of mustard you use, it can taste sweet, spicy, earthy or bitter. We love using a bit of mustard in sauces because it mixes in easily and imparts a strong flavor—a little bit goes a long way. Whether you opt for spicy brown or yellow mustard here, both options help balance out the rich meat with bright, vibrant flavor.
• Boneless beef short ribs: Boneless beef short ribs are a fantastic cut of meat for cooking over long periods of time. Thanks to rich fat marbling that runs throughout the meat, it can become fork-tender with a few hours on the stovetop or in the oven. We’ve chosen to use boneless beef short ribs in this recipe instead of bone-in because they take less time to cook.

Directions 

Step 1: Make the sauce

Sheri Silver for Taste of Home

Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a small saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, then cook and stir until tender, four to six minutes. Add the garlic, and cook and stir one minute longer. Stir in the ketchup, tomato paste, brown sugar, water, vinegar, mustard, salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until slightly thickened.

Step 2: Marinate and bake

Sheri Silver for Taste of Home

Cover and refrigerate 1/2 cup of the sauce. Arrange the ribs in a 13×9-inch baking dish. Brush the remaining sauce over both sides of the ribs, and cover tightly with foil. Bake until tender, 2 hours to 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Step 3: Broil until bubbly

Sheri Silver for Taste of Home

Preheat the broiler to high heat. Discard the juices from the dish and brush the reserved 1/2 cup of sauce over the ribs. Broil, uncovered, until the sauce is bubbly and slightly caramelized, two to three minutes.

Sheri Silver for Taste of Home

Boneless Beef Short Rib Variations

• Marinate overnight: For even more flavorful results, try marinating these short ribs in the sauce overnight. To do so, first double the recipe for the sauce. Use half of it to cover the meat (either in a refrigerator-safe casserole dish or zip-top bag), then place the meat in the refrigerator overnight. When you’re ready to cook, transfer the meat to an oven-safe dish and brush it with the remaining sauce before placing it in the oven.
• Sear the short ribs first: If you want to create a golden, crispy crust on your short ribs, try searing them in a pan before placing them in the oven. Searing meat before baking it helps to lock in juices and create a caramelized exterior.

How to Store Boneless Beef Short Ribs

Once the short ribs have cooled to room temperature, any leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator. If you’ve baked these in a refrigerator-safe casserole dish, you can simply cover the leftovers with plastic wrap or foil and transfer to the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can place any leftover short ribs (and the remaining sauce) in a sturdy zip-top bag. Make sure to stand it up in the refrigerator to prevent the sauce from leaking. Boneless beef short ribs can stay in the refrigerator for three to four days.

How do you reheat boneless beef short ribs?

You can reheat boneless beef short ribs in the oven or microwave. However, we think they taste best when reheated in the oven. To warm them up, simply transfer any leftovers to an oven-safe dish, cover them, and place in a preheated 250° to 350° oven for about 15 minutes, or until warmed through. Covering the pan will help the meat retain its juices and prevent any leftover sauce from drying out.

To reheat the meat in the microwave, simply transfer it to a microwave-safe dish or container. Microwave on medium-high for about a minute, then continue to heat in 30-second increments until the leftovers are warm enough.

Boneless Beef Short Rib Tips

Sheri Silver for Taste of Home

What cut of meat can I substitute for short ribs?

Beef chuck is a great substitute for boneless short ribs. It has a similar texture to short ribs, and it can withstand long cooking times, which makes it ideal for soups, stews or braised recipes. While chuck roast is a great substitute for the beef ribs here, you might want to let it cook a little longer than the recipe outlines to ensure that the meat is fork-tender.

Can I make this with bone-in short ribs?

You can certainly make this recipe with bone-in short ribs, but remember that the cook time will change. Bone-in meats typically take longer to cook than the boneless versions. Follow the recipe as outlined here, but allow a bit more time for cooking.

What can you serve with these boneless beef short ribs?

We love how versatile this recipe is. Although it’s impressive enough to serve on a special occasion, it’s easy enough to serve on a weeknight too. Pair it with mashed potatoes, baked mac and cheese, roasted vegetables or a pot of rice and beans.